The fulvous Harvest Mouse is a nocturnalspecies that lives in grassy fields where there are shrubs. These Mice are good climbers, and build baseball-sized nests up off the ground, in vegetation. Winter nests are sturdier than summer nests. When a nest is occupied—often by two Mice—the one or two entrances are plugged. Fulvous Harvest Mice eat invertebrates when they are available, during the spring and summer, and switch to seeds in fall and winter. Along the Texas coast, where invertebrates are available year-round, they are the dominant item in the diet. Males and females seem to travel together, which suggests they may pair-bond in monogamous relationships, a rarity for mammals. These Mice live for about a year, and seldom longer than 14 months.

Sexual Dimorphism:
Males are larger than females.

Length:
Range:
134-189 mm

Weight:
Range:
6.5-25 g

References:

Allen, J.A., 1894. Descriptions of ten new North American mammals, and remarks on others, p. 319. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 13:317-332.